U.S. rates futures steady; dollar Libor rises

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. short-term interest rates futures were little changed on Thursday following data showing weekly domestic jobless claims hit a nearly three-month high and that worker productivity increased more than expected in the third quarter.

The latest U.S. data did not change traders' views about the prospect of an interest rate increase by the Federal Reserve at its Dec. 13-14 meeting.

On Wednesday, the Fed as expected left its target range on interest rates unchanged at 0.25 percent to 0.50 percent and kept the door open to raise them as the case for such a move has "continued to strengthen."

Federal fund futures implied traders saw about a 67 percent chance that the U.S. central bank would raise its target range on interest rates by a quarter-point to between 0.50 percent and 0.75 percent in December, flat from Wednesday's close, according to Reuters data. <FFZ6> <FEDWATCH>